


Wardrobe Changes

by layalee



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Diggle is a concerned Papa Bear, F/M, Felicity Smoak & Roy Harper friendship, Humor, Jealous Oliver, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, POV Felicity Smoak, Roy keeps on laughing, Season/Series 02, Team Arrow, Tommy Lives, Tommy Merlyn & Felicity Smoak Friendship, Tommy Merlyn is Alive, grumpy oliver, innuendos, oblivious Felicity, olicity - Freeform, oliver is a sweetheart, unestablished relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2018-10-08 11:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10385937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/layalee/pseuds/layalee
Summary: The five times Felicity wore other men's clothes (and the one time she wore Oliver's).





	1. Roy

**Author's Note:**

> This is my new little pet project. I know I should be working on "Don't Worry, I Know CPR" but this fic was begging to be let out into the world. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Arrow belongs to DC and the CW. No copyright infringement intended.

**One ---- > Roy**

 

Felicity and Roy both stared in shock at the arrow sticking out of the portable heater. Suffice it to say, the heater wasn’t heating anything right now.

Felicity pursed her lips. “He’s gonna kill you,”

Roy’s shoulders slumped down. “He’s not gonna _kill_ me.”

Felicity gave him a deadpanned look. “He literally just bought that heater a week ago.”

“He can afford another one,” Roy said in a small voice. Felicity raised judgy eyebrows at him. “What? He _can_ ,” Roy insisted.

There was silence in the foundry for a few moments, before Felicity whirled around and headed back to her computers. “He’s totally gonna kill you.”

Roy’s groan made her grin.

Settling back in her chair, Felicity checked the monitors for any suspicious activities that she’d have to report to Oliver and Diggle. They were out on a stakeout, so it was a fairly routine night, but you never know.

Satisfied that all was in order, she twirled her chair around to face Roy, who was still staring at the heater-with-an-arrow-sticking-out-of-it in dismay.

“I’m never gonna get good enough to go out there with them,” Roy muttered, tone dejected.

Felicity rolled her eyes, letting out a fond sigh. “Yes, you will. You just need to practice more, and your skill level will get higher before you know it. Do you think Oliver became that good overnight?”

Roy glanced at her, expression lighter. “I guess so,”

“I _know_ so, so stop feeling sorry for yourself, pick up that bow and arrow, and practice.”

Satisfied that Roy was doing as she said, Felicity gave a prim nod and turned back to her computers.

Only moments later, she heard an arrow whiz past behind her and then a sudden crashing sound, like glass shattering. Jumping up from her seat, she peered over her computer monitors towards the source of the sound. When she saw what used to be the glass case that Oliver kept his bow in, she slowly turned around to face Roy, expression horrified.

Roy’s face mirrored hers. “Okay. Yes. He’s gonna kill me.”

\-----

Less than an hour later, Felicity was huddled up on her computer chair, her hands rubbing up and down her arms in a desperate attempt to generate some heat. She glared at Roy, who was sitting on one of the training mats and glancing apologetically at her every few seconds.

“I’m cold,” Felicity complained for the third time.

“I’m sorry!” Roy groaned. “I didn’t mean to blow out the heater!”

“It’s January,” Felicity said mournfully, blowing on her hands.

Roy rolled his eyes. “I’m aware what month it is,”

Felicity glared at him. “Don’t get sassy with me, mister.”

Roy’s expression suddenly lighted up. “Wait! I think I have an extra hoodie hidden here somewhere.” He jumped up from where he was sitting and headed towards the back of the foundry, where there was a shelf containing random things belonging to all the team members.

Felicity straightened up in her seat. “You’re just saying this _now_?” she grumbled.

“I forgot about it,”

“Of course you did,” she muttered.

A couple of minutes later, Roy stood in front of her, proudly presenting his backup red hoodie. Felicity stared at it, then looked up at Roy.

“I want the one you’re wearing,” she stated innocently.

Roy blinked at her. “What? Why?” he asked warily.

Felicity shrugged. “It’ll be warmer from your body heat.”

He stared at her. She stared back.

“I’m barely wearing anything under this,” he warned, trying to get her to back down.

Felicity smiled brightly up at him. “I don’t mind,” she sunnily declared.

Roy narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Felicity’s smile widened.

“Oh my God fine, you win,” he muttered, shrugging out of his hoodie.

Roy’s white undershirt rode up, revealing abs worthy of a Calvin Klein model. His face burned red as he tugged the shirt down. Felicity’s eyes twinkled with mirth when she saw the embarrassment dominating his expression.  

“Here,” he said sullenly, handing his warm hoodie over to her.

“Thank you,” she murmured regally, and immediately put on the hoodie. She sighed in delight as warmth engulfed her.

By the time her head surfaced from the red material, Roy was already clad in the spare hoodie.

“You think this makes up for the busted-up heater?” he asked hopefully.

Felicity snorted. “Not a chance.”

\-----

When Oliver and Diggle finally came back to the foundry, Felicity and Roy were both sitting cross-legged on the training mat, playing an intense game of Gin Rummy.

“Hey,” Felicity called out without looking away from her cards. “How did it go?”

Digg was the one to answer her. “Better than expected. We got the intel we need to move forward on the target.”

Felicity looked up and saw Digg putting away his guns. She heard Oliver’s footsteps head towards the glass case for his bow and winced in preparation.

Roy glanced nervously at her and Felicity gave him an encouraging smile. He got up and awkwardly stood there, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Anything you want to share, Roy?” Oliver’s amused voice rang out.

“So uh, sorry man, I may have broken that?”

Felicity got up too and turned around to see Oliver’s neutral expression. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Digg with his arms crossed, leaning back against the wall and watching the scene unfold, an amused expression on his face.

“May have?” he questioned, raising a sardonic brow.

Beside her, Roy winced. “I definitely did? I’m still trying to get the hang of the whole arrow-ing thing,” he confessed.

“Maybe you need to go back to slapping water,” Oliver mused.

“No!” Roy exclaimed in horror. “I said I was sorry, man, don’t be cruel!”

Oliver chuckled and shook his head, an exasperated yet fond expression on his face. “It’s fine. At least you cleaned up the glass, so that’s –”

He broke off suddenly and stared at Felicity, eyes boring into her. She fidgeted under his gaze, feeling self-conscious.

“What?” she questioned defensively.

Oliver had a peculiar expression on his face. He kind of looked like he was in pain. “Are you… wearing Roy’s hoodie?”

She shrugged. “I was cold,” she explained.

Oliver’s eyes shifted from Felicity to Roy. Something about his expression reminded her of a disgruntled cat.

Roy held out his hands, palms out, and hurriedly explained. “Hey man, don’t look at me like that. She insisted.”

Felicity gaped at him. “You offered!”

Roy turned to hiss a “ _shhh_ ” at her. She huffed at him.

“If you were cold, you could have just taken one of my jackets,” Oliver told her gruffly. “You know I don’t mind.”  

Something warm bloomed in Felicity’s chest, and it had nothing to do with the red hoodie she was wearing. She smiled at Oliver, the earnestness in his voice making her blush. “I’ll uh, I’ll remember that next time.”

Oliver nodded at her and began to make his way to the other side of the foundry. Felicity turned to Roy and smacked his arm.

“Ow!” he complained. “What was that for?” he said petulantly, rubbing his arm.

“That’s for trying to throw me under the bus," she chastised. 

Roy opened his mouth to reply, but Oliver’s growly voice, coming from somewhere behind them, stopped him.

“Roy! _What the hell did you do to the heater?_ ”

 


	2. Barry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the response to this fic has floored me. Thank you all so much for your support, it means the world to me. 
> 
> Here's the next chapter! I hope it lives up to your expectations <3

**Two ---- > Barry**

 

Felicity brushed her hand over the cold, smooth metal surface of the weapon. The faint blue glow emanating from the gun’s power source gave it an eerie look, but it was exactly what they needed back in Starling City.

“It’s perfect,” she announced, giving Cisco a thumbs up.

Cisco’s chest puffed out and Felicity tried to suppress a grin.

“Of course it’s perfect,” he crowed. “I designed it.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you’re the master of engineering,”

“Hell yeah, baby!” he yelled, high-fiving Barry, who was busy flitting through a book at super-speed. He didn’t even look up but obligingly lifted his palm up for Cisco.

Cisco froze and looked back at Felicity, fear in his eyes. “I was just saying that, you know, it’s a thing that people say,” he squeaked in a high voice. “Please don’t tell Oliver I called you baby,”

Felicity squinted at him in confusion. “Why would Oliver care?”

Cisco stared at her with a blank expression and even Barry looked up from his book to raise his eyebrows at her.

“Right,” the speedster said slowly. “Of course he wouldn’t care,”

Felicity shook her head, baffled at their behavior, and mumbled something about letting the team know that the weapon’s ready. She stepped out of Cisco’s workroom and into the hallway. She unlocked her cellphone and hit her speed dial 2.

Oliver picked up after two rings.

“How’s it going?” he immediately asked.

Felicity rolled her eyes and sighed. “Hello to you too, Oliver,”

She heard him huff and she knew him well enough to recognize that he was amused.

“It’s ready,” she declared, getting back to business.

“Good,” Oliver replied, voice switching from amused to grim in a speed only he could manage. “Because we need it. Tonight,”

Felicity’s jaw dropped. “Tonight? What happened? The target wasn’t supposed to move out of hiding for another two days!”

“Someone attempted to screw him over in a deal. He’s moving out early. He’ll be halfway across the country by dawn. We need to move quickly.”

Felicity rubbed at her forehead, feeling the beginning of a headache. “There’s no way I can make it back tonight with the weapon. The last train to Starling City already left,” she groaned.

Oliver cursed. “We need that weapon, Felicity. This guy’s a metahuman. The gun is our only way of taking him down,”

Felicity’s mind whirred and then something clicked. “Wait, I have an idea. I’ll see you soon.”

She hung up before Oliver could say anything else and ran back to Cisco’s workroom.

“Barry!” she exclaimed.

The speedster looked up from what looked like playing an intense game of thumbs war with Cisco. “Yeah?” he questioned, curiosity tinging his voice.

Felicity gave him a hopeful smile. “How do you feel about taking a visit to good ol’ Starling City?”

\-----

Barry was more than willing to help. In fact, he was downright cheerful about it, which made Felicity slightly suspicious. She dismissed her thoughts and focused on the mission.

“Ready?” Barry asked her.

She looked at him. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

Barry looked down at his clothes, a red sweater with a plaid shirt peeking from underneath it, navy jeans and converse sneakers. “Yes?”

Felicity looked to the side and eyed his red _Flash_ suit inside the glass case. She shrugged and looked back at Barry. “Okay then. Ready,”

He spread out his arms and smiled at her invitingly. Felicity fought off a blush as she stepped into his arms and let him hoist her up, bridal style. She glared at an amused-looking Cisco as he handed her the gun. Her eyes _dared_ the engineer to say something.

Cisco merely held out his palms in a placating gesture and stepped back, still with a smirk on his face. “Have fun,” he said cheerfully.

Felicity clung to Barry and looked up at him. The speedster met her gaze and smiled softly at her. “Hold on tight.”

A moment later, everything was a blur.

\-----

Felicity’s head spun when Barry finally stopped running. They were down in the foundry – which appeared to be empty – and Felicity hung on a little tighter to Barry, unwilling to let go just yet.

“Just one sec,” she croaked.

Barry laughed. “It takes some getting used to. Take your time,”

Felicity gulped and breathed in deeply. “Okay,” she announced. “I’m good,”

A moment later, Barry let her down gently, not removing his arms from around her until her feet were steady on the ground.

She barely had time to put the weapon down next to a table with Oliver’s half-finished arrowheads scattered around it before she heard Barry shout.

“Your shirt’s on fire!”

Felicity yelped and looked down, seeing orange embers stark against her burgundy shirt. Barry stepped forward and hurriedly tried to put the fire out with his hands, only to pull them back a moment later because the sparks, coincidentally, were located around her breast area.

Without thinking about it, Felicity ripped off her shirt, leaving her in her bra. She threw the offending item on the floor and stomped on it. The embers didn’t stand a chance.

Letting out a sigh, she looked back up at Barry, who was decidedly trying _not_ to look at her. Remembering her state of undress, she yelped again, raising her arms up to cover her chest.

“Oh my _God,_ ” she groaned.

Moving at super-speed, Barry removed his sweater and flitted around her. When he was in front of her again, _he_ was shirtless and she was clad in his clothes.

“Uh,” she managed.

He scratched at his head. “I probably should have kept at least one of either the sweater or the undershirt,”

“Oh my God, why didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t thinking of that!” he exclaimed. “I just wanted to cover you up!”

Felicity’s face flamed and she fervently wished for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

“Take it back!” she suggested almost manically, and this time _she_ was trying not to stare at his chest. He was no Oliver, but Barry was a pretty nice visual.

He looked scandalized. “I’m not going to undress you! I value my life too much,”

She gaped at him.

He grimaced. “I don’t suppose Oliver would be cool with me borrowing a shirt?”

Felicity blinked at Barry, but before she could answer, they heard the beep signaling the foundry door was being accessed. Turning their heads towards the stairs, they both waited to see who would come down.

Roy was the first one to descend, but he stopped at the foot of the stairs and gawked at them.

“What is it?” Oliver’s voice floated down from behind the red archer.

Felicity’s face went red with mortification. She looked back at Barry with horror, only to see the speedster’s face was almost as red as hers.

Oliver reached the last step and made his way around Roy, but stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of Barry and Felicity. His eyes moved over the speedster up and down, then his gaze switched to Felicity. His eyes _very noticeably_ honed in on what she was wearing – a.k.a., Barry’s clothes. While Barry was shirtless. Great.

“This isn’t what it looks like!” she blurted out.

A muscle began to tick in Oliver’s jaw.

“Dude,” she heard Roy snicker.

Barry’s hands came up to cover his chest and he looked so much like a Victorian virgin maiden, trying to protect her virtue, that Felicity had to resist the urge to snort.

“She was on fire,” Barry intervened, nervousness in his voice.

“Oh my _God_ ,” Roy was full-on laughing in the background.

Oliver glared at Barry. “ _Excuse_ me?”

Felicity groaned. “Not anything like that!” she insisted.

“Oh no, no no no,” Barry hurriedly interjected.

“My shirt was on fire because he’s so fast,” she tried to explain again.

Roy was practically writhing on the floor with laughter. “Blondie, you’re not making it any better for yourself,”

Oliver crossed his arms, the creak of leather from his suit sounding extra loud amidst all the awkwardness in the foundry.

Felicity gulped and her eyes widened. “We ran all the way from Central City – well, Barry ran, I was in his arms, which was actually more comfortable than you’d think it would be and wow I’m going to stop going off tangent – and my shirt caught on fire because of the friction,”

“Wind friction! Not any other type of friction!” Barry intervened with a panicked look at Oliver.

Felicity nodded empathically. Oliver raised his eyebrows, muscle still ticking in his jaw.

Roy wiped away tears of laughter from his eyes. Felicity resisted the urge to throw something at his head.

“Right,” Oliver said slowly, tone curt. His eyes moved to the floor and clinically noted Felicity’s ruined shirt, sitting in a sad lump. Felicity also looked at it mournfully; she loved that shirt.

Oliver looked back up at Felicity, and the glint in his eyes made her want to squirm. There was something lurking just beneath the surface, making her heart race and her insides gooey, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what.

“So uh, as fun as this is, I don’t suppose you’d let me borrow a shirt?” Barry asked hopefully.

Oliver glared at him for a beat.

“It’s… getting a little chilly?” Barry continued meekly.

“Sure,” Oliver replied, his tone implying every word in the English language _other_ than ‘sure’.

“Thanks!” the speedster beamed, completely ignoring Oliver’s hostility. “I don’t know how you can stand the cold. Don’t you guys have a heater down here or something?”

Felicity snickered and Oliver huffed and rolled his eyes. Roy immediately stopped laughing and slinked away towards the bathroom, mumbling something about putting his suit away.

Barry looked towards Felicity. “What?” he questioned in confusion. “What did I say?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Felicity's shirt being on fire is shamelessly lifted from The Flash S01E08. Again, no copyright infringement intended. 
> 
> Let's pretend that Team Flash existed in Arrow's season 2 story-line. 
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter!


	3. Diggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter in one sitting. The first line for the fic filtered through my mind, then I rushed to get my laptop open to type down all the words suddenly rushing through my head. I literally didn't stop typing until I had written down the last line for the chapter, the words just kept flowing out.
> 
> I hope you guys like it!

**Three ---- > Diggle**

 

Felicity absently listened to the weather report quietly humming from her TV as she washed her dishes. The weather man – comically dressed as a thundercloud – was warning the people about an oncoming storm. It had already hit Central City and was due to make its way to Starling City by early morning.

Felicity glanced outside the window above her sink. The night sky was clear and the moon was shining high and proud, not a single cloud blocking it from view.

She shrugged. Weather reports weren’t always a 100% accurate. Maybe the oddly dressed man had gotten it wrong.

Drying her hands on a dishtowel hanging off her cutlery’s drawer’s handle, Felicity turned off the water. She glanced at her washing machine to make sure the load she put earlier tonight was running. Satisfied, Felicity started to make her way to her bedroom. She needed to change into something other than soapy pajamas; she was due back at the foundry in less than forty minutes. The team was moving on the target again and Diggle needed another set of eyes to monitor things in the foundry. Last time had been a bust because the metahuman had somehow gained knowledge that the vigilante was on his tail. Instead of fleeing Starling City, though, he went deeper into hiding. Tonight was supposed to be another recon mission to get the lay of the land of his hiding place.

Perusing her closet, Felicity decided to dismiss the weather report. If she dressed for rain, she was going to die of heat down in the foundry. Now that Oliver had gone out and bought another heater – with the _explicit_ instructions for Roy not to even _breathe_ near the machine – there was no need to dress heavy or warmly. Felicity decided to wear a white lacy top and dark skinny jeans. She snagged a light sweater and tied it around her waist, sure that she wouldn’t even need it, and headed out.

\-----

Felicity’s teeth chattered. She _hated_ being wrong. She didn’t like kangaroos or needles or any pointy objects, but she _hated_ being wrong. She grudgingly admitted to herself that it was her fault for not listening to the weather man. He was dressed as a _thundercloud_ , for God’s sake. _Obviously_ it was going to rain. But nooo, Felicity just _had_ to dress in clothes _completely unsuitable for a violent rainstorm_.

She was absolutely drenched. Her blonde hair, long since freed from its ponytail, was plastered to her face. Her glasses were foggy and she could barely make out the symbols on her car switch to lock the doors. Her clothes were so soaked with rainwater that she felt ten pounds heavier.

Felicity carefully walked away from her car and headed towards the foundry’s back door. It wouldn’t do to go through the front door and face all the clubgoers. She looked like a drowned rat and they would probably turn her away.

She clutched her purse to her chest in a feeble attempt to save her tablet and phone from the heavy rain beating down on her. With numb, trembling fingers, she punched in the key code and waited for the backdoor to swing open. Once it did, she immediately took a hurried step inside, desperate to get out of the rain.

Of course, something else _had_ to go wrong. Her wet heels – because of course she had chosen to wear heels, she was a _genius_ like that – slipped on the concrete just inside the foundry door. Felicity stumbled, her purse flying from her arms as she thrust her hands out in an attempt to find anything to hold on to.

Continuing her streak of bad luck, her hands only found thin air and with widened eyes, Felicity went down. _Hard_.

“Ow,” she groaned, pain flaring up in her hip.

“Felicity?!” Digg’s concerned voice called out.

“Here,” she grunted, hands trying to massage her right hip to reduce the sharp pain.

She heard Digg’s footsteps come closer, and a second later, he was looming over her.

Felicity looked up at him, frowning. “I slipped,” she complained.

The corners of Digg’s mouth twitched. “It’s raining,” he so helpfully pointed out.

“I know,” Felicity grumbled.

“You’re wearing heels,” he continued, unnecessarily pointing to the offending items resting innocuously on her feet.

Felicity glared at them. They had the audacity to look cute on her feet, with her bright purple toenails peeking up from the top. “I _know_ ,”

Digg wasn’t done. “You look like you’re dressed for a picnic, not a thunderstorm,” he said, mirth evident in his tone.

Felicity threw her hands up. “I didn’t think it was going to rain _now_ ,”

Digg laughed but obligingly held out his hand to help her up. Felicity took it, letting his strong grip pull her up.

“Ouch,” she winced.

Digg’s face was sympathetic.

“Hurts bad?”

Felicity shook her head. “Probably just bruised. I’ll ice it. Might as well since I already feel numb,”

Digg’s eyes suddenly grew concerned. “You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch something. Pneumonia’s been going around,”

Felicity rolled her eyes but felt warmth flare up inside her at his concern. “I’ll be fine,”

Digg shook his head firmly. “Go, bathroom now. Change. I’ll get the ice pack.”

Felicity shook her head fondly but decided to do as he said. She knew it would be useless to argue; once Digg set his mind on something, he wouldn’t change it for anything.

She took a few steps towards the bathroom, gritting her teeth against the pain, before she came to a halt.

“I took my clothes home to wash them,” she groaned. “I don’t have anything to change into,”

Digg was already moving towards the large shelf at the back of the foundry before she finished speaking. Felicity waited for him and moments later, he handed her grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt.

Felicity stared at the clothes in her hands, then looked back up at Digg. “Diggle,” she started slowly. “These won’t fit me,”

Digg grimaced. “Smallest things I have,” he said apologetically.

“Maybe my clothes will dry quickly?” Even as she said it, she knew it was a bad idea to stay in the wet garments.

Diggle’s face did a funny thing. He almost looked constipated. “Uh, I don’t think you want to stay in those clothes. Especially uh, especially your white top,”

She was confused at his words until she looked down at herself. The rain had rendered her top practically see-through, and her purple bra was vividly clear, stark against her pale skin.

“Oh my God,” she shrieked, holding the clothes up in front of her chest. She felt her face flame up. _Why did these things **always**_ _happen to her?_

“Yeah…” Diggle said slowly, pointedly looking somewhere above her head.

Felicity shook her head and smiled gratefully at him, murmuring an embarrassed, “Thank you,”

She made her way to the bathroom, letting the door shut gently behind her.

\-----

As predicted, the clothes were too big for her, but with some bobby pins and a hair tie, Felicity was able to make them actually stay on her body. Unfortunately, she had to go braless, because her bra was just as soaked as the rest of her clothes, but she was thankful for always listening to her mother’s advice about always keeping a clean pair of underwear in her purse. She was grateful that the rain hadn’t gotten to it, so she didn’t have to go without her panties as well.

Felicity made her way out of the bathroom, her socked (courtesy of Digg) feet padding quietly on the concrete floor. Diggle was in front of the large screen she had installed only a few months earlier. He was monitoring CCTV footage but turned around when he heard her approaching.

His eyes instantly widened and he clamped his lips tightly together.

Felicity pointed a finger at him. “Don’t laugh,” she warned.

He lasted about another three seconds before he burst out laughing. Felicity couldn’t help but join in. She _did_ look ridiculous.

Once he was done, Digg got an ice pack out of the freezer and handed it to her, still grinning.

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” she grumbled, gingerly putting the ice pack against her bruised hip. She winced at the cold.

“For more reasons than you may think,” Diggle replied cryptically, an amused glint in his eyes.

As if right on cue to save her from more confusion, the foundry door beeped. Felicity hobbled to her station and stood by the computers, peering at the updates she had left running. She nodded, satisfied that all seemed to be running smoothly. Shuddering at the cold of the ice pack, she decided to forgo it for now and left it on the table by her computer.

When she heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, she turned around and saw Oliver descending. He was deep in talk with Roy and he barely glanced in her or Digg’s direction as he headed for the (replaced) glass case to deposit his bow.

Felicity looked at Digg and saw the worry she felt reflected in his frown. If Oliver was this engrossed in Arrow talk, that meant that something might be wrong.

“Did it not go okay?” Felicity questioned.

The talk between Oliver and Roy halted and the green archer turned to look at her, sporting a weary expression. He scrubbed a hand roughly across his face, letting out a deep sigh.

“The recon mission went fine. But Sin just contacted Roy. She’s been hearing word on a new drug on the street. Similar components to Vertigo but fifty times more potent.”

Felicity looked to Roy for more information – Oliver sometimes left important things out, she didn’t know _why_ – but the red archer was too busy gaping at her, trying to contain his laughter.

Felicity rolled her eyes. She should have anticipated this.

“Blondie,” Roy guffawed, “what the hell are you _wearing_?”

At Roy’s words, Oliver’s hand dropped from his face and he got his first proper look at Felicity.

The blonde genius – who did _not_ feel very smart right now – stood there awkwardly, trying not to shuffle from foot to foot because that hurt her hip. “Uh,”

Oliver’s face became tight as he scrutinized her attire. Felicity glanced back at Digg helplessly, but the older man was leaning against a table, amusement written all over his face. He just needed a bowl of popcorn and the look would be completed.

Felicity glared at him then turned back to Oliver. Before he could get a word in, she beat him to the punch.

“I was wet,” she explained, and it was like a train-wreck because she couldn’t stop her mouth from continuing. “Like, really _really_ wet,”

Roy gagged and Oliver made some sort of choking sound. The green archer’s eyes widened and he took a single, halted step forward.

Felicity watched in fascination as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as Oliver swallowed roughly.

“ _What_?” he croaked.

Felicity shook her head frantically. “Not that kind of wet!” she shrieked.

Oliver’s wide eyes were fixed on her. It was as if he couldn’t hear Roy’s poorly muffled snorts of laughter or feel Diggle’s quiet amusement.

“You’re wearing Diggle’s clothes,” Oliver started out slowly. “Because you were… uh…” He coughed, unable to go on.

Felicity nodded quickly but started shaking her head when she saw the raw fury in Oliver’s eyes. His gaze moved from hers to glare past her at Digg. She felt the older man straighten up and immediately tried to backtrack when Oliver took one menacing step forward.

“I meant my clothes!” she clarified. “My clothes were wet! From the rain, not from… anything else,” she finished, mortified.

Oliver’s eyes focused back on her. His Adam’s apple once again bobbed up and down as he visibly swallowed. “Right,” he replied, voice hoarse.

Felicity’s face flamed and she resisted the urge to face palm. How did she always seem to end up in these kinds of situations with Oliver?

“Wow, Blondie, just… wow,” Roy oh so helpfully put in.

“Shut up, Roy,” three voices simultaneously chided the red archer.

“Uh, rude,” he grumbled, but obligingly made a zipping motion across his lips, miming throwing away the key.

Felicity rolled her eyes at him. Roy sent another grin her way before making his way to the bathroom, probably to change out of his suit. A glance behind her revealed that Diggle somehow made himself scarce. Felicity frowned, confused by her team’s actions.

She focused back on Oliver when he spoke.

“I thought you kept some clothes down here,” he began awkwardly, not looking directly at her as he unzipped his suit top.

“Some, yeah,” Felicity admitted. “But I took them back home to wash.”

“Ah,” Oliver replied, coughing.

Felicity eyed him. “Is everything okay?”

Oliver glanced sharply at her. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

She took a step closer to him, and then another. She didn’t stop until there was less than a foot between them. Feeling bold, Felicity laid a warm hand on his arm, feeling the soft leather beneath her fingers. She loved that feeling.

“It’s just… You seem tense these days. More than usual,”

Oliver shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said, but his voice was faint and he was looking intently into her eyes. Something heated was swirling in those blue depths that made Felicity’s toes curl in delight.

“Are you sure?” she whispered. “Because you can always tell me about your day,” Felicity’s eyes were warm as she echoed his words to her from almost a year ago.

A ghost of a smile touched Oliver’s lips and he swayed closer to her. There was practically zero space between them now. Felicity’s heart thundered in her chest and her spine tingled deliciously, but her mind was oddly calm. She felt _ready_ for whatever was about to happen.

Oliver swayed even closer. His eyes dropped to briefly glance at her lips, but then they traveled lower and fell to her clothes. His face tightened and he abruptly jerked back, running a rough hand over his face.

Felicity also took an uneven step back, shocked at her own behavior. _What was she doing?_

She determinedly looked to the side, away from Oliver. She felt mortified.

They stayed in silence for a few moments, then she heard Oliver let out a deep sigh.

“I’m going to change,” he told her quietly, voice thick.

Felicity’s eyes slammed shut and she nodded without looking at him. Her eyes remained closed until Oliver’s footsteps faded away and she heard the quiet sound of the bathroom door locking.

Then Felicity opened her bright blue eyes and let one lonely tear fall.

 


	4. Tommy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love and support! You guys are seriously the best.
> 
> Tommy refused to stay captive in my laptop any longer. He demanded to be released. Naturally, I caved. Enjoy!!

**Four ---- > Tommy**

 

Felicity gasped when a glass of red wine appeared in her line of sight, blocking the computer screen she was so intensely focused on. She blinked at it, then followed the hand holding the glass to the arm attached to it, and then to the body said appendage belonged to.

She gaped up with bewilderment at a grinning Tommy Merlyn.

“Hi,” Tommy greeted cheerfully.

“Uh,” Felicity replied rather intelligently.

“I come bearing gifts,” Tommy continued, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Felicity glanced at the glass of delicious looking red wine and then returned her gaze to Tommy. “What.”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling.

Felicity gawked at him. “How did you even get _down_ here?”

Tommy waved his hand dismissively. “Please, I’m part owner of the club above this _super-secret_ lair. You think I wouldn’t know how to access it?”

“Yes!”

Tommy rolled his eyes and directed a fond expression at her. “Oh Felicity. Felicity Felicity Felicity,”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “The wine is a bribe, isn’t it?”

Tommy grinned shamelessly. “Absolutely,”

Felicity smiled and shook her head at his antics. She made grabby hands at the wine. “Gimme,”

He handed the wine over and Felicity raised the glass to her lips. She took one small sip and relished the burst of taste exploding on her tongue.

She closed her eyes and sighed. “Mmm,”

Opening her eyes, Felicity saw Tommy looking down at her with amusement. “Good?” he asked.

She sighed again. “Perfect,”

His eyes twinkled.

“Okay,” she announced, carefully setting down the glass of wine away from her keyboard. She spun her chair around to fully face Tommy, forcing him to take a large step back to avoid colliding with her legs. “Lay it on me,”

A striped, steel blue tie appeared in Tommy’s hand, seemingly out of thin air. He held it up. “Help,”

Felicity’s eyebrows hiked up. “You’re serious?”

He nodded solemnly. “As a heart attack,”

She stood up and took the tie from him. She rubbed her thumb over the smooth material. “I don’t know how to tie a tie,” she admitted.

“That’s the fun part, you won’t have to! You just have to let me tie it on you,”

Felicity’s eyes widened behind her glasses. “You want to tie me up?” she squeaked.

“What? No!” Tommy exclaimed, holding his hands up, palms out. “Are you crazy? I don’t want an arrow in _my_ back. Barry says he still sometimes feels pain when it gets damp,”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Barry exaggerates,”

Tommy raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. “Are you saying Oliver _didn’t_ shoot an arrow into Barry’s back?”

Felicity paused. “Wellll… He _did_ , but not because Barry tied me up,”

Tommy’s eyebrows went so high up, they practically disappeared into his hair.

Felicity groaned. “Not that Barry ever tied me up!” she hurriedly added.

Tommy laughed. “Are you sure?”

Felicity clamped her mouth shut, afraid of what might come out if she unsealed her lips. She simply nodded wildly at Tommy.

“So,” Tommy continued, “I’m not going to tie you up – but you know, if you’re offering…” he trailed off and winked at her.

“Oh hush,” Felicity grumbled, smacking his arm. She knew Tommy was just joking. He was a flirt and a charmer, but friendship was all that was between them.

Tommy chuckled. “I just need you to be a model,”

“Ah yes, my childhood dream,”

“Your childhood dream was probably featuring on an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy,”

Felicity grinned.

Tommy shook his head, “I see what Oliver sees in you,” he told her in a soft voice.

Felicity blushed. Things had been tense with Oliver ever since that _moment_ (she refused to call it an almost-kiss because it _wasn’t_ , okay?). She’d been trying to bury it in the back of her mind, but it was harder than she thought it would be. Her day job involved being in Oliver’s space and her night job consisted her of being in his ear. He was constantly around her, always in her thoughts. It was impossible to forget about what _could have_ transpired between them.

Tommy was watching her carefully. Felicity shook away her thoughts and asked, “What do you mean?” Oliver only saw her as a friend. A partner and co-worker. The other night was a fluke.

Tommy cleared his throat, an odd expression on his face. “Uh, you know, to have brought you onto his crusade. You’re an invaluable member of his team,”

Disappointment pooled in her stomach and Felicity’s face dropped. She had just gotten the confirmation she needed. If Oliver’s _best friend_ knew that the vigilante only saw her as a friend and an _asset_ , then it was official. She could finally banish all thoughts and stupid, stupid hopes of something _more_ with Oliver.

Felicity smoothed out her face into a facsimile of a smile. “Right,”

“So,” Tommy exclaimed a touch too brightly. He took the tie from her hands and presented it to her like a knight would present flowers to a lady. “Will you be my tie model?” he requested in a mock serious tone.

Felicity laughed. Tommy’s cheerfulness was infectious. “I’d love to,”

She lowered her head slightly and allowed Tommy to drape the tie over her neck. The material felt cool against her skin. Tommy stepped closer and brought his hands up to grip at both ends of the tie. He was so close to her that she could make out his eyelashes. His blue eyes were focused on the tie, but his mouth was quirked up in his ever-present smile.

“What’s this for?” Felicity questioned curiously. Tommy usually went without a tie, preferring his shirt open at the collar.

Tommy sported a weary expression. “I’ve got a video conference with a potential Australian investor in an hour. Stocks at Merlyn Global have been dropping ever since, you know, my dad made an evil masterplan to destroy and Glades and ended up doing just that,”

Felicity winced. “Right,”

“Anyways, the conference can really make or break the company. I have to present my best self to show that I’m capable of running Merlyn Global and actually make it thrive, taking it to the next level. Far far away from my father’s legacy.”

“So,” Felicity wondered in a light voice. “You don’t know how to tie your own tie?”

Tommy’s eyes briefly came up to meet hers before he focused back on the task. He seemed relieved that she hadn’t pursued the topic of his father. Felicity was familiar with daddy issues all too well; she knew when someone wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Tommy’s warm fingers brushed over the sensitive skin by the base of her throat and around her collarbone as he made some sort of complicated knot. “I can, just not on myself. I never quite got the hang of that. Yet another source of pride for my father,” he muttered bitterly. Finished, Tommy let his arms drop by his sides.

Felicity felt a pang of sympathy. Malcolm Merlyn was a hard, cruel man. It must not have been fun growing up under his expectations.

She laid a sympathetic hand on Tommy’s upper arm. She smiled gently at him. “You’re twice the man he could ever even imagine to be,”

Tommy’s eyes became warm. “Just twice?” he joked, sounding mock hurt.

Felicity rolled her eyes, then squeezed Tommy’s arm. “Even more,”

“What’s going on here?” Oliver’s careful voice suddenly came from her left, jarring her out of the moment.

Felicity jumped away from Tommy, her hand dropping from his body. She felt herself flush with embarrassment and, for some reason, _guilt_. How had she not heard the foundry door opening or the green archer coming down the stairs? Was she so engrossed in her conversation with Tommy that she had completely tuned out her surroundings? She wondered what Oliver had seen when he first walked in, what sort of image he was presented with when he saw Felicity and Tommy standing close together. _What did he think was going on?_

Oliver eyed them, his expression closed off.  “Tommy,” he said in a dangerously quiet voice, but his eyes were fixed on Felicity.

She gulped.

“Hey man,” Tommy replied breezily. “How was your vigilante-ing?”

Oliver’s response was terse. “Uneventful,”

Felicity lowered her eyes and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears. She felt nervous. _Why was Oliver so mad?_ She glanced sideways at Tommy, who was casually standing next to her with his hands in his pocket.

“Felicity was just helping me tie a knot. You know I’m awful at that,” Tommy’s tone was light, but Felicity could detect a hint of challenge in it.

Oliver’s gaze flashed down to the tie. His eyes glinted with something primitive.

“I thought you elites got lessons as little kids on how to do that,” Felicity joked, desperately trying to lighten the mood.

Oliver’s eyes flickered away from hers for a second to look at Tommy, before coming back. “We did, but eight-year-old Tommy was too busy getting his first girlfriend to actually pay attention to the lessons,”

“Can you blame me? Jenny was cute as hell,”

Oliver smiled. “You broke up with her two weeks later,”

Tommy shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants. Or rather, doesn’t want,”

“Oh my God, were you a womanizer at _eight_?” Felicity blurted out, turning to look at Tommy incredulously.

Tommy blushed (which she didn’t know he could even _do_ ). “Hush, it’s all in the past,”

Felicity shook her head. _Men_.

“I thought you were working late tonight, Tommy,” Oliver stated casually.

Felicity looked at him. He was standing there in his Arrow suit, hood down and mask off. His bow was clenched tightly in his hand. His casual tone didn’t match his body language.

“I am, but I stopped by to check on some of the accounts and shipments. Then Felicity here was gracious enough to help me with my tie situation,”

“He brought a good bribe. I couldn’t say no,” she returned mildly.

Tommy chuckled and even Oliver’s lips quirked up in a smile.

“She’s the best,” Tommy stage-whispered to Oliver.

Oliver looked at her, his soft gaze seeming to bore into her very soul. “That she is,” he murmured.

Felicity looked back at him and, for a few seconds, she forgot that Tommy was in the room. She forgot the ten feet between her and Oliver, she forgot her embarrassment and hurt and gut-wrenching confusion. It was just her and Oliver, and everything unspoken between them.

Felicity snapped back to reality when Tommy clapped his hands loudly.    

“Well, I gotta run. I have that meeting to get to,”

Felicity nodded, but before she could remove the tie from around her neck, Tommy beat her to the punch. With a sly look quickly directed at Oliver, he stepped closer to her, almost as close as he was before. He carefully raised the tie up and away from her skin, his knuckles brushing over her collarbone. Felicity chanced a glance sideways at Oliver; the green archer bristled at the sight of them. His fists were clenched and his teeth gritted. Felicity was very confused.

The tie made its way off her. “There,” Tommy announced. He draped the tie around his own neck. Tommy sent a mischievous glance to Oliver then looked at Felicity. “Do you mind?” he asked charmingly, nodding down at his tie.

Felicity swallowed, not sure where Tommy was going with this but unwilling to make a big fuss about it. If Oliver hadn’t been there, watching them, she wouldn’t have thought twice about helping Tommy. But with the vigilante standing there with narrowed eyes, dissecting her every move, she felt exposed, vulnerable, unsure of every step she took. Felicity hesitantly brought her hands up to Tommy’s chest. She lightly gripped the loose tie and began to tighten it. Once she was done, she smoothed the tie over Tommy’s shirt.

“All done,” she announced in a faint voice.

“Thanks,” Tommy drawled with a wink. “Anytime you need more red wine, I’m your guy,”

“I just might have to take you up on that offer,”

She heard the distinctive sound of leather creaking and somehow just knew that Oliver had crossed his arms.

Tommy laughed as he began to back away towards the stairs. “I look forward to it,”

As he passed by Oliver, Tommy clapped a hand over the archer’s shoulder and leaned down to whisper something in his ear. Felicity strained her own ears and tried to catch what transpired between them, but it was too low to hear. She pouted.

Oliver gave a terse nod in response to whatever Tommy told him. Moments later, Tommy disappeared up the stairs and Felicity was left alone with Oliver.

She turned away, not ready to face the vigilante. She didn’t understand what had just transpired and she needed a moment to collect herself. She made her way back to her computers, but she didn’t sit down. She was too on edge to do that.

“Hey,” Oliver’s soft voice came from behind her.

Felicity glanced back at him sharply. She hadn’t expected that tone of voice. She had expected broody Oliver, with the monosyllable replies and terse tone. She didn’t know what to do with _this_ Oliver.

“Hi,”

He came closer to her, depositing his bow along the way. He didn’t stop until he was a couple of feet away from her. Felicity looked at him nervously.

Oliver’s eyes dropped to the glass of wine still resting on the table behind her. He frowned for a moment then looked back up at her. “I never did get you that bottle of Lafite Rothschild 1982,” he mused.

Felicity smiled at the memory. “I knew it was a cover story – a really, _really_ bad one, B.T.W. So I wasn’t expecting it anyway. You were a terrible liar,”

Oliver smiled a small, private smile. “Only with you,”

Felicity stared at him. She didn’t know what to do with that information. She didn’t know what that meant. No, no, she _did_ know, but she wasn’t sure that she should.

Felicity shrugged, uncomfortable, and swallowed hard. “I know you well,”

Oliver’s eyes were intent on hers. “You’re one of the only few people who do,”

Felicity’s eyes widened, bright behind her glasses.

“You still helped me, though,” Oliver continued thoughtfully.

“I’ll always want to help you,” Felicity answered honestly. Maybe a little too honestly.

“Why?” Oliver questioned, a frustrated look in his eyes.

As much as she wished she could lower her gaze to hide her feelings, to somehow protect herself because she felt so terribly exposed, Felicity maintained her gaze with him. This felt _important_. “I believe in you,”

Oliver stepped forward and Felicity’s heart started to race. He came so close to her that she could feel his body heat, radiating off of him in waves and caressing her invitingly. She swallowed hard.

“Oliver?” she asked, voice heartbreakingly hopeful.

He laid a warm hand on her shoulder. The heat seared her, making that point where he touched her blaze and tingle. Oliver smiled warmly down at her. A real, genuine smile. Not the one he faked when he was ambushed by the media. Not the one he plastered on his face to placate his mother or QC’s board members. Not even the one he used with Laurel. It was _Felicity’s_ smile.

That realization made Felicity’s thudding heart swell.

Oliver squeezed her shoulder. “Felicity,” his voice was whiskey-smooth, low and intimate. “You’re remarkable,”

“Thank you for remarking on it.”

\-----

The next night, Felicity found a bottle of Lafite Rothschild 1982 resting on her table, a safe distance away from her computers.

 


	5. Lance - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I owe all Wardrobe Changes readers a HUGE apology! I've been MIA for a while and I feel so bad for letting this fic sit unfinished. My muse had sadly abandoned me for a while, rejecting all types of bribery - mainly candy. So I'm sorry!! And I thank you all for your patience.
> 
> I come bearing gifts in the form of a longer chapter that will hopefully put me back in everyone's good graces ;)
> 
> Thank you for everyone who stuck with this fic, your love has kept me going. This one's for all you who read and kudo'd despite this fic not being updated for over a year.

**Five ---- > Lance **

 

One of the only things Felicity disliked about working down in the foundry is that they couldn’t order take-out. It was a _heinous_ crime, in her opinion. They couldn’t even order under Verdant’s address because that would look “super-suspicious, Felicity, and we can’t handle that kind of exposure right now”. Felicity huffed. She hated it when Oliver was right.

It was because of that _stupid, logical rule_ that Felicity was currently waiting in line at Big Belly Burger, eager to pick up her order so she could get back to the foundry. The boys were waiting for her and it was _not_ a good idea to keep them hungry.

Or her. She could get a teensy bit cranky when she felt peckish. Just a teensy bit.

When it was finally her turn, Felicity went up to the counter with cash ready in her hands. “Hello! How are you? Order under Smoak?” she asked the girl behind the counter in one breath. The waitress’s nametag dubbed her Hannah.

Hannah nodded and turned around briefly. When she faced her again, she had two delicious-smelling paper bags. Her mouth almost watered at the scent.

“Yesss,” Felicity sighed, earning her more than one weirded-out look from the other customers. She shrugged; it was Big Belly. She was _allowed_ to act like this.

She handed the money over to Hannah. “I thought Carly was working tonight?” she asked her curiously.

A flash of recognition went through Hannah’s eyes at the mention of the other waitress’s name. “Yeah, she was supposed to, but her son caught the flu that’s been going around, so I’m covering her shift.”

Poor AJ. “I hope he feels better soon,” she replied sympathetically. Felicity lifted the bags of takeout and nodded at Hannah. “Thanks. Keep the change.”

The waitress shot her an appreciative smile. Felicity turned around and stepped out of the line, ready to get back to the foundry and _eaaat_. But a moment later, she froze.

Because there were two masked men coming in through the front entrance, carrying large, intimidating guns.

“Everybody get down!”

\-----

Felicity’s back was against the counter. There were around seven other hostages, all spread out across the restaurant. Some were clustered together, while others sat alone, looking lost and terrified. Next to her, a petrified Hannah began crying.

“It’s okay,” Felicity whispered to her out of the corner of her mouth. “If we do as they say, they won’t hurt anyone.”

The waitress was the one who was forced, at gunpoint, to fill the robbers’ brown duffel bag with money from the register. Her hands had been shaking so bad that some of the notes had fluttered to the ground.

Hannah turned fearful eyes at her and Felicity briefly flashed back to her first mission with the team. She had probably had the same look of terror in her eyes back then.

Felicity tried to smile reassuringly at the waitress, but inside, her heart was hammering hard in her chest. Everything bad that could happen flitted through her mind. She had had enough unpleasant experiences with Starling City’s bad guys to realize that people were willing to do a lot of horrible things to get what they wanted. The robbers had already been in the restaurant for fifteen minutes. They had collected all the cash in the register. _So why were they still here?_

The team had to be wondering where she was. Would they come after her? Or would they think that she simply got held up?

Felicity’s hand inched towards the pocket of her dress. She was never more thankful than she was right now that she had chosen to wear a dress with a pocket, where she could store her phone.

“What are you doing?” a panicked Hannah hissed at her.

“Calling for some help.”

The waitress shook her head frantically. “They specifically said no police!”

Felicity opened her mouth to reply, but one of the robbers caught sight of them. “Hey! No talking or else you’ll get a bullet in your pretty little heads.”

Hannah whimpered and lowered her face into her lap, but Felicity glared mutinously at him. She had faced a crazy jewel thief with a knack for bomb collars, a crazy casino owner who ran a shady business, and a crazy drug-lord who was ready to inject her with a lethal amount of vertigo. Basically, she had faced a lot of crazies. This robber had nothing on them.

Behind the ski mask, his eyes narrowed. Felicity noticed that they were green. She filed that information away for later.

“Trying to play the hero, huh Blondie?” the robber asked, coming closer to her. He lifted his gun and pressed it to her temple. Felicity’s heart thudded in her chest and she felt a flash of panic so bone-deep, that it left her shaking. _No_ , she thought, _please, not like this. Not like_ this _._

“Vance! Leave her alone, for God’s sake,” Vance’s partner called out. Felicity dubbed him Rob (you know, short for robber).

Vance’s eyes narrowed and he pressed his gun harder into her temple. Felicity winced in pain as the weapon dug into her skin, but she maintained eye contact with him. No way was she going to let this douche win, even if she _was_ scared.

A beat later, Vance pulled back the gun. “We’re not done here,” he threatened, before moving back towards his partner.

Felicity let out a sigh of relief.

Now, she just had to let the team – _Oliver_ – know that she was in trouble.

\-----

It was a good thing she still had her bags of takeout with her, because they blocked her hand as it went into her pocket and extracted her phone. With baited breath, Felicity unlocked the device. Opening a new text thread, she typed one-handed.

**To Oliver, 6:17 PM**

**SOS. Big Belly. 2. Guns.**

Now all she had to do was wait and help would –

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Felicity gasped as she was jerked up by her ponytail. Tears sprang into her eyes at the unexpected pain. Although her eyesight was currently blurry, she could still make out Vance’s green eyes glaring down at her.

He grabbed the phone from her hand and glanced at it. Felicity thanked Google that she had locked it after sending that text. “Trying to play the hero? Who did you call, the cops?”

She shook her head furiously. “No, no cops.”

“Yeah?” Vance came closer to her, his hot breath washing over her face, making her want to gag. “I don’t believe you,” he hissed.

He let go of her ponytail and roughly shoved her away. With a cry, Felicity’s back hit the counter, which dug into her skin. She bit her lip against the pain, refusing to make another sound. She didn’t want to give the jerk any satisfaction.

The other patrons in the restaurant – all sitting down, trying to look anywhere but at the robbers – jumped at the sudden sound of a hand slapping down on wood. They all looked up at Vance – who had slammed his hand on the counter next to her – and Felicity before quickly lowering their gazes.

“I _swear to God_ , Vance, if you don’t stop this shit, I’ll put a bullet in your head myself,” his partner hissed.

Vance glanced away from her, his eyes hardening. The two partners stared at each other and Felicity wondered if there actually would be a shoot-out. Thankfully, Vance backed down. He threw one last nasty glare at her and chucked the phone at her, before moving away to stand guard by the door.

Felicity yelped as she tried to grab her phone and let out a relieved (but confused) breath, sliding back down next to Hannah. The young waitress immediately grabbed her hand, squeezing hard.

“I’m scared,” she whimpered.

Felicity gripped her hand back. “Don’t worry. Help will be here soon.”

She hoped.

\-----

Another ten minutes passed with no sign of Team Arrow showing up. Felicity was starting to get worried. If someone didn’t intervene soon, the situation might escalate.

Ignoring every sensible bone in her body (and Oliver’s voice in her head growling at her not to do this) Felicity stood up. Her action immediately caught the attention of the robbers.

Vance, who was standing guard by the door, started to make his way to her, but a quick, flinty look from his partner stopped him in his tracks. He sullenly turned back to watch the door.

His partner approached her. “Something on your mind?” His voice was friendly, polite. In Felicity’s experience, that was more dangerous than Vance’s quick temper.

She swallowed and tried to channel Oliver. “What do you want?”

Rob’s eyes twinkled with humor. Honestly, Felicity couldn’t possibly know what he found funny.

“You’ve got the money. Why don’t you just leave?”

“Well, we’re not here for the money. That was just a bonus,” he revealed.

Felicity frowned at his condescending tone. “Then free the hostages.”

Rob threw back his head and laughed. “Now why would we do that?”

“Because they’re innocent,” Felicity insisted.

“They? You don’t count yourself in that category?”

Felicity stilled. She thought of her Arrow work. Of the bystanders who occasionally got hurt. She thought of the tough choices she sometimes had to make. Of that first person she ever saw die, because she couldn’t figure out how to get to him.

She hesitated, and then shook her head.

Rob’s eyes alighted with interest. “Well well well. Aren’t you an intriguing one?”

Felicity gulped. “If you let them go, you can keep me as a hostage,” she offered. _Fe-li-ci-ty_ , Oliver’s voice growled in her head. She did her best to ignore it. Oliver would have done the exact same move she just did.

The robber laughed again. Felicity nervously glanced around and saw some of the other hostages eyeing the two of them. They looked hopeful.

She snapped back to attention when she heard the sound of a gun’s safety clicking off. Startled, she immediately looked at Vance, but his back was to the restaurant, eyes trained on a spot outside the establishment’s windows; he was still standing guard. Confused, Felicity looked at Rob.

She stilled when she saw the gun pointed directly at her heart.

“This isn’t a negotiation. I can do whatever I want.”

“You’ll be stopped,” she warned, faking some bravado and trying to pretend that her heart wasn’t trying to beat its way out of her chest.

Rob towered over her and pressed the gun into her chest. “By whom?”

Felicity’s mind flashed to Oliver.

He grinned. “You think your pathetic attempt to call for help worked?”

A glimmer of doubt began to settle in her stomach. It _had_ been too long since she sent out that text. Oliver would have been here by now.

“We have jammers around the building. Whatever you tried, it didn’t go through.” His tone was smug and truly tempted her to take a swing at his face.

Felicity’s eyes widened.

“Go ahead. Check,” Rob challenged.

He watched her with calculating eyes as she extracted her phone from her pocket and checked. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she realized he was right. The text hadn’t gone through like she had thought.

Oliver didn’t know she and many others were in trouble.

Felicity’s hand shook as she locked her useless phone and put it back in her pocket. She _had_ wondered why Vance had easily given her her phone back. Now she knew. These two were smarter than they seemed. This robbery was pre-planned. They were up to something, and it wasn’t going to end well for any of them.

 Felicity looked up at the man standing in front of her, still pointing a gun at her heart.

And she realized she was alone.

\-----

An old woman was having trouble breathing. Felicity noticed it because the woman had started wheezing and clutching at her chest.

“Grandma?” a frantic teenager called out, shaking the old woman’s arm in an effort to gain her attention.

“Quiet!” Vance turned around to yell.

The teenager’s face started streaming with tears. “Please, my grandma’s in trouble. She can’t breathe!” Her voice was shaky, revealing her fear. Felicity thought she was very brave to speak up like that, considering the situation.

Throwing all caution to the wind, Felicity crawled over to the pair.

“What’s your name?” she asked the girl.

“Alice,” the girl hiccupped.

Felicity tried to project an air of calm. “And your grandma?”

“Tina.”

Felicity nodded and grabbed Tina’s hand. It felt cold against her skin. “Tina? Can you hear me?”

She felt a shadow fall across them and glanced up. Rob was looming over them.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded coolly.

“This woman is in distress. She needs an ambulance.”

He scoffed. “Not happening.”

Tina’s breaths started coming in faster and faster. Alice clutched at her grandmother, sobbing.

Felicity’s face hardened. “Do you want to escalate from a robbery to a homicide?” she barked.

Even through the mask, she could tell that Rob paled, his resolve wavering.

“What’s wrong with her?” he demanded, the first hint of unease leaking into his voice.

Felicity surveyed Tina for a moment before turning back to their captor. “Do I look like I have a medical degree?” she sassed. When the robber’s eyes narrowed menacingly, she immediately backtracked. It would not do well to antagonize him. “I don’t know. It might be a heart attack. Which is why she needs an ambulance _now_.”

Vance left his post and approached them. He shook his head at his partner. “Don’t do it, man.”

“Shut up,” Rob snapped.

Vance immediately fell into a sullen silence.

After another minute of deliberation where Felicity and Alice anxiously watched Rob, he finally nodded. “Fine. She can leave and find her way to help.”

Felicity gaped at him. “She’s in no condition to walk, let alone find some help herself!”

“We’re _not_ calling an ambulance,” he snapped decisively.

Felicity glanced at a tearful Alice, then back up at Rob. She stood up and faced him head-on. “Then let the lady and her granddaughter both leave. Alice can get Tina to a doctor.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Felicity saw Alice nod frantically.

Rob stared at her, his eyes narrowing. Felicity’s heart hammered in her chest as she waited for his verdict.

Finally, he huffed out a breath. “Fine.” He brought up his gun from his side and pointed it at Alice. Felicity started forward, ready to get in between them, but Vance grabbed her arm and jerked her back.

“Let me go!”

“Shut up,” he hissed in her ear. Felicity shuddered.

Rob barely glanced at them before focusing on the terrified teenager. “If you run to the police, little girl, I will come and find you. And I won’t be as accommodating.”

Alice stared at him mutely and nodded. Satisfied, Rob lowered his gun. “Get out of here,” he ordered.

Vance walked Alice and Tina to the door and pushed them out. He immediately locked the door after them, but Felicity could still see them through the glass door. She watched as Alice helped a limping Tina away from the restaurant. She watched them until they disappeared from view.

It was because she was so intensely focused on the outside that she caught a glint of something shiny reflecting on the glass. Felicity followed the light up to the source. It led to the rooftop opposite Big Belly Burger. With widened eyes, Felicity realized that the reflection was caused by the scope of a sniper.

Hope bloomed in her chest, but Felicity was careful to not let anything show on her face.

Help was coming

\-----

Rob was pacing up and down behind the counter. Felicity eyed him nervously. Had he noticed the snipers on the roof? Did he know that the police were in the process of surrounding the building? Did he realize that Oliver would have known that something was wrong, and that he was most likely already casing the building, finding a way in?

“Where is he?” he muttered to himself. Felicity strained her ears to catch his words. “He should have been here by now. Where the _hell_ is he?”

Another partner perhaps?

“He’s the freaking Arrow, and he doesn’t even show up to a hostage situation?”   Felicity froze. No. No, no way. This could _not_ be about Oliver. Felicity’s mind whirred, trying to piece together the situation. What did these two boneheads have to do with Oliver? Or rather, _the Arrow_.

 _Vance_. Felicity wanted to smack her head for not realizing it sooner. She had come across that name in her research about the metahuman they had been targeting. Vance Clarkson was one of the metahuman’s guards. It was too much of a coincidence to just be random.

This wasn’t a robbery at all. This was a trap.

And Oliver was going to walk right into it.

\-----

It was another ten minutes before the landline of Big Belly Burger rang. The ringtone was a loud, shrill sound in the otherwise tense silence of the restaurant. Everybody jumped – except Rob. Felicity wondered how the landline still worked if the robbers had jammers around the building.

The gunman’s eyes gleamed threateningly, the corners crinkling behind his mask as if he was smiling. He strode confidently behind the counter and lifted the phone to his ear. Felicity leaned forward, towards the large man, as much as she dared, desperate to catch anything from the other side of the phone.

“Big Belly Burger, may I take your order please?” he greeted in a taunting voice.

To her utter frustration, Felicity couldn’t make out any words, but she heard the vague impression of a voice that seemed to belong to Detective Quentin Lance. It was standard procedure to make contact with the hostage-takers in a such a situation.

Rob listened in mock-concentration to the other side before he interrupted whoever he was speaking to. “Listen, since you police folk took your sweet time getting in touch, I’ll get right to it, since I’m starting to lose my patience. Get me the Arrow.” With that, he slammed the phone down, effectively ending the conversation.

Rob strode back to his original position, his hand absent-mindedly stroking his gun. Felicity’s eyes tracked the motion, the fear that had been coursing through her veins for the past half an hour solidifying into something cold and uncomfortable in the pit of her stomach. She glanced at the other hostages around her and instead saw too many potential targets. If the police tried to storm the place, there would be too many casualties, possibly including Detective Lance. Someone whose loss, she knew, would devastate Oliver. And she didn’t know if the team were on their way, or if they were already here. She couldn’t risk waiting any longer.

She had to do something.

\-----

Felicity was about to do something very stupid. But then again, she had made a lot of stupid decisions lately and they’ve somewhat paid off.

She slowly got up, wincing at the uncomfortable sensation of blood pumping down to her legs. Vance and Rob immediately took notice of her movement. She took a step forward, grimacing when she saw Rob’s gleaming eyes tracking her movements, looking her up and down as if she were a piece of meat. Steeling herself at what she was about to do, she tried to channel the Arrow.

“I have a proposition for you,” she stated calmly. How her voice managed to leave her in a somewhat steady tone was a wonder to her.

Rob motioned her forward and she took a few more steps, bringing her a foot away from him. Felicity tried to ignore the scared atmosphere of all the hostages behind her, tried to block out Vance’s leer, and instead focused on Rob.

The gunman tilted his head, bringing his hand up to gently caress his weapon. Felicity understood it for the threat he meant it as. “Didn’t peg you for the type, but thanks but no thanks, Blondie. I’m not buyin’ what you’re sellin’.”

For a second, Felicity’s mind was blank, completely blind to what he was implying. But the second it clicked, her face twisted into an expression of disgust. “Ew, no! Not _that_ kind of proposition!”

At his affronted look that shined through his grey eyes – another tidbit of information she filed away for later – Felicity hastened to salvage the situation. “Not that, er, under other circumstances, you wouldn’t be desirable, because you totally would be! Like, I’m sure the ladies are all over that. Or the men, not judging! Although it is hard to tell with the mask on, you know, to gauge if you’re a six or a ten.”

Rob narrowed his eyes.

Felicity gulped. “But you probably want to keep the mask on so… Er, let’s just assume you’re a ten.”

“Let’s.”

Awkward silence. Even in a freaking robbery, Felicity managed to stick her foot into her mouth.

“Your proposition?” he prompted.

Felicity jolted and immediately sobered up. “Right, yes. My proposition. I heard you earlier, talking about the Arrow. I know this is all a setup to get him to come in.”

Rob’s eyes became cold as ice chips as he roughly grabbed her arm and dragged her to the kitchen door. Felicity distantly heard Hannah’s cry of fear for her, but she managed to hold a hand up behind her back to stave off the girl. She knew what she was doing.

Pausing, Rob glanced at Vance, who had turned around from his position to gape at us. “Watch them,” he ordered. “Anyone so much as breathes funny… shoot them.”

Vance’s eyes crinkled in a grin and he gave a curt nod.

Resuming his brusque pace, Rob dragged Felicity through the kitchen door and to the kitchen, his hand maintaining a bruising grip on her arm.

“Were you fucking eavesdropping?”

Gone was the gentleman façade. The man in front of her was all rage and fire.

Felicity steeled herself. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’re not going to get what you want. The police are out there, ready to come in at any moment. You know this as much as I do. The Arrow won’t be here before the cops come in and bust your asses.”

Rob dropped his hand from her body and Felicity immediately raised hers to rub at the sore spot on her arm. There would definitely be a bruise there.

She closed her eyes and prayed for bravery. _Don’t do anything stupid, Felicity_.

Too late, she thought. With a silent apology to Oliver and Diggle, Felicity opened up her eyes. “I’m guessing your metahuman boss won’t be too happy that you failed your mission.”

Rob took a step back, shock jolting him away from her. Just as quickly, without giving her time to step out of the line of fire, his hand swung in a graceful arc and smacked her on the side of her face. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet and she fell to the ground, her face and head throbbing. Felicity faintly felt the trickle of blood from her hairline down to her chin.

From her spot on the floor, she mutinously glared up at her attacker. He was standing over her, chest heaving and eyes hard. With yet another sudden movement, her reached down, grabbed her unbruised arm, and roughly dragged her to her feet.

He let his gun swing to his side, hanging from the strap across his chest. Both hands came to grip her upper arms as he yanked her close to him, his face inches from her.

“What the fuck do you know about my mission?”

She smirked. “More than you’d think.”

For several moments, he simply glared at her. Felicity’s outer appearance maintained a brave front, but on the inside, she was a mess. She began to think that maybe he would use his gun on her, get rid of the nuisance she’s been, when he pushed her away from him with a disgusted grunt.

“Talk,” he ordered.

Felicity huffed and tugged on her dress to straighten it. “I can give you what you want.”

Rob froze.

“Er, to clarify, I meant the Arrow. Not anything else you might be wanting.”

A spark of humor danced into Rob’s eyes before it faded, a concentrated look replacing it.

“Oh yeah? How would you do that?”

“Because the Arrow is my friend. And if I called him, he’d answer. And he’d come for me. No questions asked.”

Intrigue sparked a gleam in Rob’s eyes. “Well shit, then I guess we hit the jackpot.” Extracting a satellite phone from his back pocket, he extended it to her, dangling it just out of her reach. “Prove it.”

Felicity shook her head. “I won’t do it just for shits and giggles. You let all the hostages go, then I give you the Arrow.”

Rob was already shaking his head. “Not a fat chance in hell.”

Felicity frowned, thinking. A moment later, her face smoothed out and she knew what she had to do.

“You can keep me. Let the innocent people out there go, and I’ll stay as your hostage.”

 _Oliver will come for me_. _Oliver will **always** come for me._

The gunman regarded Felicity for a long moment, an assessing look in his eyes. Finally, in a gesture that surprised her, he reached his hand out for a handshake.

“Deal,” he smirked.

Tentatively, Felicity extended her own hand and clasped his, the pit in her stomach deepening until she thought she would throw up at the gunman’s feet.

“Deal,” she echoed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to confess that the majority of this part of the chapter had been written for a while, gathering dust in my laptop. Something about it just nagged at me and I couldn't complete it. Maybe because the vibe of it is somewhat different than the other chapters. Those were mainly light and flirty with small doses of angst, while this one had a more serious tone. I tried to include some of Felicity's lightness and I hope that was enough to balance out the seriousness and playfulness of the fic.
> 
> Anyways, I hope it doesn't disappoint anyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Drop me a line, make me smile ;)


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